Publishing a Web Page

Every Duke student has a home directory folder on Duke's network file system, which uses software called AFS.

Inside the home directory folder is a subfolder/subdirectory called public_html, which is your "web folder". If you put any file in there, it appears on the Web at the URL http://www.duke.edu/~your_NetID/filename.

It is easy to access your web folder from a PC or a laptop. But first you have to install an AFS client and attach your home directory on Duke's network file server. OIT has good directions on installing and using AFS, and a nice tutorial page on creating web pages at Duke.

Once you have your folder open on your PC, you can use any of several applications to save web content in it. You can drag in images, and you can save files in a web page format (HTML) from many applications, including Microsoft Office applications (Word and Powerpoint). You can also save documents in other formats, such as Adobe PDF. Many clients can understand content in commercial application formats, like Word or Powerpoint, but it is good practice and good manners to use standard public formats.

Here are some other ways to add Web content:

Access somebody else's content in a browser, click "save as", save it with your own names, and edit it with your favorite text editor. Be careful to respect copyrights where applicable. OIT publishes a sample home page that is a good way to get started.
Install a free public version of Mozilla and use its composer application to create your own Web content.
Purchase a commercial Web editing application such as Dreamweaver or Frontpage.

OIT publishes guidelines and assistance for Web publishers through its Office of Web Services.

Susan Rodger has prepared a nice summary of how to make Web pages for a previous first-year seminar. You may also wish to create a facebook page if you don't have one already.